It's Never Too Late to Start

Meet Chrissie Wellington:

As of January 2012, she's won four World Ironman Triathlon Championships.  Four of them.  That's pretty insane, isn't it?  First of all, just finishing an Ironman?  That's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and FULL marathon, all in one go.  Now here's the kicker:  she didn't become a professional athlete until she was 30.

Apparently she had been a sporty kid, not really excelling in anything but more involved in the socializing aspect of sport.  As she grew up - attending the University of Birmingham, traveling and volunteering, and then going on for her masters - she still involved herself in sport, but continued to focus more on the social than the training.  Then in 2001, she decided to start training to run the London Marathon for charity, and in 2002 she crossed the finish line in 3:08.  Of course, going from mildly fit to running a 3:08 marathon in a year is an achievement in itself, but she had "tasted the Kool-Aid".  And after a car struck her while she was riding her bike, she turned to swimming, and then to triathlons.  

Years later, in 2007, she turned pro.  Five years after that, she's one of the foremost athletes in the world.

So here's the deal.  Many of us played sports in high school.  Or we involved ourselves in some sort of intramural in college, or maybe just limited it to the occasional game of hoops or touch-football.  Whatever the case, at some point we realized that - having not been training since birth - we've missed the boat on becoming a professional athlete.  Is it a little depressing?  Maybe.  But really, there are other things in life that don't require grooming-since-birth, like working in an engaging profession, or enjoying our time with friends, or starting a family.  And at some point, our fitness goals go from being athletes to just staying in shape.  Or really, if we're being honest, just *looking* like we're in shape.  Because we really just want to lose three pounds.

Now look at Chrissie Wellington again.  She may have stayed "in shape" for most of her life, but she didn't really buckle down and train until her mid-20s.  And with a determination and some realistic goals, she's become this shining example that we're not doomed to sub-par physical condition if our parents didn't have us throwing the ol' pigskin around at age 2.

So where does that leave us?  Well, I think it's time to look at where this mentality to just look "in-shape" is getting us.  We try the newest diet from Oprah, or we get on a hardcore elliptical-kick, or we becoming extreme nude yoga enthusiasts.  And then, 3 weeks later, without having set any realistic goal other than to see our abs, we miss a workout or two.  Or we don't see the weight melting off of us, and just decide that these training sessions aren't even worth pursuing.  Well, Chrissie Wellington has something to say about that:

"Often people feel they are not progressing as quickly as they want to," says Wellington. "Patience is key: the knowledge that the improvements you are making will make you stronger and fitter and that ultimately you will see the fruits of your labour."

Patience, and maybe a new outlook on how we approach our physical condition.  Why not, for once, train like an athlete?  Set a series of goals, work-out a serious, realistic plan, and train with that same intensity and determination that we've funneled into other aspects of our lives.  Maybe we won't become world-class triathletes, and that's fine, but have we actually, *really* tried to build ourselves into something better, physically?  Have we truly tapped into these incredible wells of potential that take the shape of the human body?  Probably not.  

And really, that's a pity.  Because looking at the likes of Chrissie Wellington, the human body can do some absolutely amazing things.